“Breathe deeply, move forward, you will feel the sunshine again.”
Claire wrote those words in her college application essay. It was a whispered thought, a mantra used to propel her through the toughest days. Little did she know those few words strung together would offer great inspiration to so many people who knew her; especially her friends as they face the emerging challenges that come with college, life and the professional world.
Now, we are blessed and so proud to see how they carry Claire’s exuberance and strength with them onto their college and university campuses as CMF Collegiate Ambassadors. Newly launched in April of 2017, our Collegiate Ambassador program boasts 55 representatives on 22 campuses nationwide sharing peer-to-peer awareness and education programs about melanoma in adolescents and young adults. It is the second most common cancer in young people and the number one cause of cancer death in women between the ages of 25 and 30.
By offering a presence at campus activities such as wellness fairs or speaking to small and large groups such as athletic teams or Greek organizations, CMF Ambassadors work hard to raise awareness of the prevalence of adolescent and young adult melanoma and just as importantly, the best way to prevent it.
Our Ambassadors do this all with style, creativity and the ever-present splash of ‘Claire Coral’. In just our first eight weeks, they managed to reach some 1600 students. Amazing! As we say, #AwarenessSavesLives!
If you are a college or university student and are interested in becoming a Claire Marie Foundation Collegiate Ambassador, let us know!
